Since Chat GPT was first introduced in late 2022, both the use of generative AI and the conversation around it has steadily grown. When it comes to using AI in the creative world, the discourse can be quite contentious, but designer Tim Fu, founder and director of Studio Tim Fu, has a more optimistic view.
“We often fear technological revolutions as they threaten established ways of working. However, I believe we shouldn’t become too focused on the process, but instead focus on optimising the end result,” says Fu. Having worked at Zaha Hadid Architects, pushing the boundaries comes second nature to him and adopting a forward-thinking approach is exactly the direction for his eponymous practice.
“Studio Tim Fu was built from the ground up as an AI-first firm with the goal of pioneering the use of AI in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry. We’ve developed a range of methodologies that blend human creativity with machine intelligence,” says Fu, who describes himself as an ‘Architectural Futurist’.
This is on full display with Studio Tim Fu’s inaugural commission: the sprawling Lake Bled Estate in Slovenia. For this project, he and his team are pioneering the use of AI in conceiving the masterplan and showcasing its immense possibilities when used with a discerning eye and a focus on human values.
We speak to Fu about the making of Lake Bled Estate and why he sees AI as a tool that should be embraced by all.
Tell us about your time working at Zaha Hadid Architects. What does that experience bring to your own practice?
During my time with the computational research team at Zaha Hadid Architects, I had the opportunity to dive deep into the process of turning complex geometries into something tangible—real buildings.
That experience taught me a vital lesson, one that I carry with me in my practice today: technological innovation, particularly in architecture, must always be rooted in the practical realities of materiality and construction. This is how we approach generative AI technologies in architecture: every output is tested against the realities of materiality, engineering, and constructibility, ensuring that it will be realized into built form.
When did you first take an interest in AI and how did you cultivate that curiosity and learn more about it?
I’ve been closely following the development of AI for some time, but it wasn’t until the rise of diffusion AI models in 2022 that I truly recognised its creative potential. Witnessing machines not just manipulate data, but generate entirely new visuals and ideas, was a defining moment for me.
It became clear that AI had evolved beyond a mere tool of automation—it was now a powerful force of disruption within the creative industry. From that moment, I dedicated myself to researching how AI can be applied to architecture.
Can you share your perspective on AI-driven design?
AI, much like digitisation in architecture, has streamlined production by eliminating unnecessary tasks. It serves both as a tool and a process. While the average user might apply it lazily and achieve a decent result, a thoughtful and creative individual can harness its full potential to produce exceptional results.
Tell us more about the Lake Bled Estate commission in Slovenia and why you chose this to be your firm’s first project using AI?
AI-generated design is often dismissed as chaotic, impractical, and disconnected from its surroundings or history. Our debut commission in Slovenia offers an opportunity to challenge these views.
Located next to one of Europe’s most protected lakes and surrounded by heritage-listed buildings, the site is governed by strict building codes. We see this as the perfect chance to show what AI can truly achieve. Our aim is to prove that, when used thoughtfully, AI can create designs that are both respectful of their surroundings and entirely practical to build.
Lake Bled Estate has an exclusive location next to the historic Villa Epos by Jože Plečnik. What does this development hope to achieve in Slovenia as well as the world?
This project presented two exciting and meaningful challenges, influenced by the Lake Bled location. First, we were tasked with bringing the client’s vision to life—to create a new benchmark for elevated luxury and innovative design in Slovenia. At the same time, it was vital that the legacy of Jože Plečnik was respected and honored, carefully navigating the strict heritage regulations that governed the materials and preservation of the rizalit roof structure set by the conservation agency.
Instead of simply replicating traditional Slovenian architecture, we focused on reimagining its essential design characteristics, blending Slovenia’s reverence for tradition and deep-rooted heritage with innovation, technology and progress.
The studio used AI in the early stages of the master plan. Can you detail how you melded AI and human creativity?
One key example is our diffusion visualisation workflow, where we can plan architectural programming while AI generates design options in real time. We’ve also integrated optimisation algorithms that enable machine intelligence to maximise key parameters like daylighting and room efficiency. By approaching architectural challenges with AI, we immediately see a boost in our own creative thinking.
You view AI as a tool to allow designers to concentrate on the more human-centric aspects of their work. How did this unfold in this project?
In the paradigm of AI-aided design, the act of curation is key. We architects and designers are needed to uphold our human values—we dictate the direction of AI exploration, we curate the plethora of creative results, and we refine in the direction necessary to address technical requirements.
While AI can provide a high quantity of creative inputs, humans should always decide which values to pursue. This decision is based on our collective understanding of culture, society, and values that we want to proliferate into our built environment.
You have said that we are “at a crossroads” and that you recognize the boundless potential of AI to transform the industry. How do you envision the future of architecture in the decade to come?
Predicting a decade ahead is difficult amidst transformative technological advancements and considering the tools we have at our disposal now that we couldn’t have imagined 10 years ago. However, we can be certain that AI will continue to radically streamline the architectural process.
Today, architecture is fragmented—specialists handle concept, structure, costing, and analysis separately with few practitioners specialising in multiple fields. AI, however, can bridge the gaps and unify these stages into a seamless, real-time design-to-construction pipeline.
If used correctly, AI has the potential to accompany architects throughout the design process, instantly generating layouts, optimizing costs, and creating precise digital twins.
There are also opportunities for AI to positively impact other project areas, ranging from urban planning and interior design to processing vast datasets that propose solutions beyond human capability. This isn’t just about enhancing architects but forming a new architectural intelligence.
Lastly, what are you most proud of in this project and why?
More than the final outcome, I’m proud of the precedent this project sets. It establishes AI as more than just a speculative experiment, proving its role as a serious architectural tool. This project demonstrates that AI-generated design doesn’t have to be abstract, chaotic, or impractical. When guided by architects, it can produce solutions that are contextually sensitive, structurally sound, and entirely executable.
Beyond this, it challenges the industry to rethink AI’s role in architecture. This technology is not a distant future—it is already here, and its adoption is inevitable. Just as CAD transformed architectural practice decades ago, AI will soon become an essential part of the practice. Architects must recognize this shift with a sense of urgency, not just to keep up, but to shape how AI integrates into our discipline. The question is no longer if AI will be widely adopted, but how we, as architects, will define its role.